Sand Castles
by mercury999
Summary: Mulder and Scully have some fun when they go undercover as a married couple.


Title: Sand Castles  
Author: mercury  
Rating: R  
Category: MSR  
Distribution: just lemme know first...  
Disclaimer: I don't own them...  
Summary: Mulder and Scully have some fun when they go  
undercover as a married couple.  
Author's Notes: Ok, where do I begin? I want to thank Frohike for  
editing this, and Kris for her Pictionary and inspiration in the wee  
hours of the morning, not to mention the yoyos! Sarah for the  
lessons of poker *vbg*, Mulderitzmi for the title, which I love!  
Feedback: mercury_999@hotmail.com  
  
XxXxX  
  
Dana Scully apartment  
June 27, 1999  
  
I woke up to banging on my door. I glanced at my night stand  
clock, it was almost three a.m. A new record for Mulder. He was  
being so loud out there, that he must have woken up the entire  
building. He must be drunk, I concluded. There is no possible  
way he would do this when he was sober, was there? Then there  
was silence. I pulled the blankets back around my head.  
  
Within a few minutes, I was blinded by a light and the sheets were  
torn off my bed. I squinted and gasped at Mulder.  
  
"What the Hell are you doing here, at 3 a.m. tearing up my  
apartment?" I demanded.  
  
He answered me by going to my closet and grabbing my suitcase.   
I jumped up and blocked his way back to my dresser.  
  
"Mulder what the hell are you doing?" I demanded again. This  
time he grabbed my wrist. He didn't hurt me; I think it was a  
measure to show me how serious he was.  
  
"If we're not out of here in the next two hours, then  
we're dead," he said.  
  
"WHAT?" Of all things he's told me at this hour, this was the  
strangest.  
  
He pushed past me and started dumping the contents of my drawer  
into the suitcase. I sighed.  
  
"I'll tell you in the car," he begged.  
  
I just stared at him. I was expecting something a little more  
creative.  
  
"Scully, this is matter of life and death, get dressed," Mulder  
begged.  
  
"Where are we going? " I asked, as I grabbed some clothes out of  
the drawer that Mulder had opened.  
  
"I'm not sure yet," Mulder replied. Oh that answer made me feel  
really confident. I hurried into the bathroom and changed my  
clothes. I emerged with my make up bag and tossed it into the full  
suitcase.  
  
"Are you ready?" Mulder asked nervously.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be," I said dryly. He picked up my suitcase,  
grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my apartment.  
  
Mulder was in a panic, I don't think I've ever seen him so upset.   
Why was he so upset? Where were we going? Who are we fleeing  
from? The questions whirled around in my head. I reached across  
the seat and touched Mulder's arms softly. He looked at me.  
  
I gave him a half smile. "Where are we going?" I said simply.  
  
"We're on our way to the Lone Gunmen's. They're expecting us;  
well actually they called me in the first place. They said they'd  
generate the fake Ids and passports, basically everything we  
need. They made the plane reservations, so basically I have no  
idea where we are being sent to," he said.  
  
"Mulder, what did they say when they called you?" I asked. This  
was just a little bit weird. Sure Mulder had come to my place  
several times early in the morning. None of them even compared  
to the way he was right now.  
  
"They said that they had been trying out some new wire taping  
thing, and they accidentally picked up something. It was two  
unidentified men, confirming that they were going to lure us  
together using voice simulators. Eventually we'd meet sometime   
this morning, somewhere, and KA-POW!"  
  
Okay Mulder, maybe you have been drinking, I thought. Now I  
understand the urgency of the situation, but sound effects?  
  
Mulder swerved into the parking space next to the LGM HQ. We  
rushed out and pounded on the door, much like he had done to my  
apartment.  
  
After a few seconds, Frohike opened the door. "Come on in."  
  
"Here are your new IDs, passports, credit cards and basically   
everything you will need for as long as you have to be hidden-"  
Byers said, handing everything to us.  
  
"How long will that be?" I asked.  
  
"We don't know, we'll call you when it's safe to come back. In the  
meantime, we'll notify Skinner-" Langly said.  
  
"And my mother, please," I interrupted.  
  
"And your mother, to notify them of your absence. You are to  
contact no one," Langly continued.  
  
"Where are we going?" Mulder asked.  
  
"A small town near Hamilton, Ontario. It is right on the water,  
we've rented a cottage for you guys. The town itself isn't very big,  
but a lot of people stay near the lake, where you will be," Byers  
said, handing us the plane tickets.  
  
"Everything you need to know about the town and where you will  
be staying is here, " Langly handed me a folder.  
  
"We've kept them long enough, the flight number is 269, to  
Hamilton; it leaves in 54 minutes. Be careful," Byers said.  
  
"We will," Mulder said. We headed for the door.  
  
"See you soon, hopefully," I called.  
  
"Agent, aren't you forgetting something?" Frohike asked.  
  
I looked around, then I looked at my hands. I had everything they  
had given me, I didn't think I was forgetting anything.  
  
"A kiss for good luck?" Frohike asked. I blushed. He wanted a  
kiss, well I suppose it would be okay, but Mulder would never let  
me live it down...  
  
I leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He beamed  
at me. "Good night, Scully!"  
  
We left quickly, and Mulder sped to the airport. We barely had  
time to throw our bags at the front desk, then run to the gate. We  
must have made it by two minutes.  
  
The plane took off, and Mulder turned on the overhead light. I dug  
out the folders and Mulder got out our IDs. I looked at mine for  
the first time.  
  
"Who came up with these?" I wondered aloud.  
  
"I think the Gunmen did, why?" Mulder asked, as he opened his.   
There wasn't a reason, really. I just remembered that I had wanted  
to pick the names the next time we went undercover. We weren't  
really going undercover, we were fleeing from some unknown  
assailant.  
  
"They made me 25. I'm Dana White," I said. I wonder which one  
of them decided my name.  
  
"Really? I'm Fox White, and I'm ooooh 28," Mulder said. We're  
young, and married again?  
  
I reached into my envelope and pulled out some rings. "They must  
have had a field day making these up. So, it says we're from  
Seattle?" I asked.  
  
"Yes, *honey*," Mulder said with a smile. He put his hand around   
my shoulders. I would have done something to him, if it had not  
been on an airplane where there were people around us. Instead I  
gave him a smile.  
  
"So... a kiss for good luck?" Mulder was staring ahead; he   
had a smile on his face. I knew he was teasing me about my  
actions at the Gunmen HQ, but now it was my turn.  
  
I leaned over and went to lightly kiss his cheek, mimicking the  
action I did earlier today. Just as I was about to kiss him, he  
turned toward me. Instead of kissing his cheek my lips lingered on  
his. It was a quick kiss, and it took both of us completely by  
surprise.  
  
I sat back; of course I hadn't meant to do that! Now Mulder   
was going to have something else to tease me about, but its not  
like I minded his teasing. I waited for some remark from him.  
  
Instead he stared at me for a moment, and was speechless. What  
am I saying? Mulder? Speechless? But there he was, staring at   
me, not saying anything. It wasn't uncomfortable silence for me,  
so I smiled at him.  
  
"I'm going to go to sleep, wake me when we get there," I said.   
Then I decided to strike again, and I buried my head in his chest.  
  
"Wh- Scu-Da-," he started. He was confused, I could tell.   
This was so unlike me, but for once I was enjoying being in  
control of our situation. I called the shots; after all, we were  
married now. I stifled a giggle against him. He did smell good;  
maybe this was going to be an okay adventure anyway.  
  
This adventure, seemed to be missing something. As far as I could  
tell, we were being sent away, into another country during the  
summer. We were supposed to act like tourists, rent a cottage for  
as long as it takes for them to call us. This could be fun; at least  
Mulder was with me. I drifted to sleep.  
  
XxXxX  
  
"Honey?" Mulder whispered in my ear as he rubbed my back.  
  
I woke up slowly, not knowing where I was. Mulder had been my  
pillow for the past few hours, such a nice sleep, I admitted.   
Honey?? Then I remembered the events of the early morning. I  
rolled off him.  
  
"We're about to land," Mulder said. The lights of the city were in  
view, as the plane slopped toward the airport.  
  
"All passengers should have their safety belts bucked, and their  
trays folded up. We will be landing shortly," the stewardess said  
over the PA system.  
  
As soon as we got off the plane, it would seem like we're starting a  
new life. A married one, we'd done it before, and it had been  
interesting. Mulder had been purposely trying to break as many  
rules as he could from The Falls CC&R's. I laughed.  
  
"What's so funny?" Mulder asked.  
  
"I was just remembering The Falls," I said.  
  
Mulder got a look on his face. "Don't even think about it," I said.  
  
"What am I thinking?" Mulder asked.  
  
"You're thinking about breaking the rules and being strange in   
this new town. And don't you dare talk about me when we get  
there!" I remembered the dinner conversation when we had been  
invited to the Shrouders residence for supper. "Act normal,  
Mulder. I want to have a crack at this married li-" I broke off  
giggling.  
  
"I'm sure once we get settled in, you'll be in the same mood. What  
are you on, Scully? Why are you so happy?" Mulder was  
confused.  
  
"I'm not *on* anything. Our second marriage in less than a year,"   
I was gone again. We had landed and people were beginning to  
get off. Mulder stood up and offered me his hand. I took it.  
  
"So we're a married couple, on vacation, starting now?" Mulder  
asked hopefully. I rolled my eyes. Why was he so excited?  
  
"Yes," I said. Mulder pulled his briefcase down from the   
overhead compartment. Then he took my hand and led me out of  
the plane. I should have known that he'd be putting moves on me,  
even though I knew he was teasing, and enjoying his new married  
life to the fullest, I was almost enjoying it as well.  
  
We had a long wait through customs. I had to admire the Gunmen  
for all the work they put into our new IDs; as far as security was  
concerned, we were Dana and Fox White, US citizens.  
  
"So honey, where are we going?" I asked. It was funny, when we   
were at The Falls, everything had been stiff acting, from me   
anyway, this time I was relaxed. Maybe I was just considering it  
like a vacation, only I was with Mulder, and we were married.  
  
"I think we should drop our stuff at the cottage, then start our  
vacation-" Mulder started.  
  
"With going to the grocery store!" I exclaimed. I really wasn't  
excited about doing that, but we needed food. If he gave me  
another 'get in here and make me a sandwich' bit...  
  
"I suppose we need to eat," Mulder agreed. I was shocked that he  
agreed so easily. He never gave in so easily, what was he  
planning?  
  
So we rented a car. Mulder was going for the traditional navy  
Taurus, but I convinced him to get a red Cougar. Hell you only  
live once; this would be the best vacation ever.   
  
When we arrived at the cottage, it was more like a small house. It  
had two floors; the first contained a living room, kitchen and   
dining room, so I knew the bedrooms must be on the second floor,  
as well as the bathroom. We set our suitcases in the living room  
and returned to our car.  
  
We had to go all the way back to Hamilton to get to the food. I  
didn't mind; Mulder seemed to be enjoying himself. Presently he  
had one arm around my shoulders; I seemed to have lost control of   
our situation. I was actually thinking of putting my hand on his  
leg, but I decided that I didn't want to get run off the road, and I  
didn't have a good enough excuse. Damn I was starting to think  
like Mulder!  
  
I pulled out a cart, and turned around. Mulder had already  
disappeared into the store. It was quite large, so I started going  
down aisles, putting nutritious food into the cart.  
  
"Dana dear," Mulder said, as he came up behind me. I turned  
around.  
  
His arms were full of snacks, chocolate, popcorn, chips, practically   
everything I could imagine. I rolled my eyes at him. "Would you  
like to pay for all that junk?"  
  
"Sure, our money is worth a fortune here. I was thinking,   
*honey*, that we should move up here," Mulder said, dumping  
everything into the cart. There he goes with the honey thing; of  
course he says it loud enough for the whole store to hear.  
  
"Mmmm, whatever Mulder." I say, as I try to resume shopping.   
Mulder insisted in pushing the cart, and I thought that way I could  
keep an eye on him. Mulder casually slipped his arm around me,  
as I walked down an aisle. I went to put some pre-made salad into  
the cart.  
  
"You're not buying that are you?" Mulder whined. I was starting  
to be sorry he had come with me.  
  
"Hmm, why don't you go find something for supper tonight, and if   
you're good I'll even let you make it," I said, trying to sound as   
excited as I could.  
  
"Oooh!! Fun, fun. I just love cooking," he said.   
I noticed how fast he deserted the cart.  
  
I finished shopping and had just paid for everything, when Mulder   
brought the car to the entrance of the store.  
  
"What did you get for supper?" I asked, with a concerned tone.  
  
"Um, it's a surprise," Mulder said. Okay, at least he had gotten  
*something*.  
  
XxXxX  
  
It turned out to be quite a hot day. As soon as we arrived to our  
cottage, after getting lost twice, I put on my bathing suit and went  
outside to enjoy the 100' afternoon. The water was about 15' away  
from our front door, and when I went outside carrying sunscreen  
and a towel, Mulder was already sitting in a chair in the water.   
  
He saw me and I swear, his eyes almost popped out of his head.   
Okay Dana, maybe you went a little all out with the bathing suit... I  
was about to call out to him, ask him why he put his chair in such  
an odd place, when I realized he was talking to someone. Instead,  
I set my stuff down on the sand and spread my towel.  
  
"Honey, this is Chris Morgan. He is staying three doors up. Chris,  
my wife Dana."   
  
"Hi," I said walking up and shaking his hand.  
  
"Wow, where'd you meet a woman so lovely?" Chris asked  
Mulder. He opened his mouth, and I shot him *the look*. If he  
had said something about me being a New Ager again...  
  
"I get around," Mulder replied. I smiled.  
  
"So how long are you guys going to be here?" Chris asked me.  
  
"We're not sure, it was a spur of the moment idea for a vacation," I  
replied. This man reminded me a lot of Big Mike, the vet from  
The Falls.   
  
"Where are you from? I don't mean to be nosy or anything, we're  
all like one big happy family here. I come every summer, as well  
as many other people." Chris said.  
  
"We're from Seattle," Mulder said. I sat down on my towel.  
  
"Never been there, I'm from Detroit. Well folks I've got   
to go, I'll probably see you around, or at the big barbecue   
Friday night. If you need anything, just come on over. It was nice  
meeting you, Fox and Dana." Chris said, as he left.  
  
Fox? Mulder had introduced himself as Fox? What a surprise. I  
was about to open my mouth, to tease Mulder about it, when he  
beat me.  
  
"I know what you're thinking," he taunted. Suddenly, the chair   
tipped and he landed with a splash in the lake.  
  
"How could you have possibly known that I thought you'd hit the  
water before me?" I giggled.  
  
He emerged with the chair. "I don't know, Dana," he said,   
picking me up and carrying me into the water. After he was about  
up to his waist, he dumped me in, then headed back to the shore.  
  
I laughed and followed him. I had to admit that I was   
having a good time, so far. The intense heat of the sun was   
already drying the little beads of water from my skin. We went  
back to our towels and I sat down again.  
  
Mulder played with the sunscreen bottle, while I laid on my   
stomach.  
  
"You know Dana, that bikini your wearing is quite sexy. Are you  
trying to attract other men?" Mulder asked with a smile. I knew  
where he was going with this. But again, before I could come  
back with a reply, he interrupted my thoughts.  
  
"Couple coming near," he warned, as he opened the sunscreen  
and started spreading it on my back. "The sunburn you're   
going to get will also be quite sexy." I would have hit him with  
something, but the couple was, apparently, coming over to us.   
Plus, I did like Mulder rubbing the sunscreen all over   
my back.  
  
"Hi! I'm Trish Hunt and this is my husband Marty," the woman  
said. "We live next door during the summer."  
  
"Hi, I'm Fox White, and this is my wife Dana," Mulder said. I  
smiled, Mulder's hands wouldn't let me get up, not that I wanted to   
anyway.  
  
"So how long have you been here?" Marty asked.  
  
"We just got here actually," I replied. "We came straight out here  
to enjoy the water." Mulder stopped putting sunscreen on my  
back, because there wasn't a place without it, some places even  
had too much. Then, he began to massage my back.  
  
"It's a lovely place, Marty and I have been renting here for five  
years now," Trish said. "Have you heard about the barbecue?"  
  
"Chris Morgan mentioned it, right before he left," Mulder said.  
  
"Oh, you've met Chris? Wonderful guy, he's in charge of it. It's   
an annual thing here. The party is over by that dock," she pointed  
to an old wooden dock. "Everyone goes to it." Trish added.  
  
"I suppose we'll be there," I said.  
  
"I have an idea!" Trish exclaimed. "Why don't you and Fox join  
us for a picnic at Navy Island tomorrow?"  
  
"That's really kind of you," I said. "It would be great."  
  
"You and I can prepare the food, while Fox and Marty get the boat  
ready."  
  
"I must admit, I'm not much of a packer, Dana usually does all that  
stuff," Mulder said. Hmm, come to think of it, who was the one  
who pulled me out of bed and started stuffing things in my  
suitcase. I giggled.  
  
"I pack, except for this trip," I admitted. "It was a surprise   
for me."  
  
"That's wonderful," Trish said. "This is a lovely area, I'm sure  
you'll like the time you spend here."  
  
It was a lovely place, the water was a crystal blue, and there wasn't  
a cloud in the sky. The sand was a pale yellow, and it  
bordered the whole lake. The lake itself was quite large;  
you could barely make out the other side. The cottage was small  
and cozy, with a small deck and some patio furniture on it. In the  
yard, flowers were planted all over the place.  
  
"It's beautiful," I said.   
  
"So what do you do?" Trish asked.  
  
I tried to remember what my fake profile of me had said. "I don't  
work," I said. Mulder caressed my back, and I had to bite my  
tongue.  
  
"Oh, do you have any kids?" She asked.  
  
"No kids," I admitted.  
  
"How about you?" I asked, trying to build the conversation.  
  
"I have two kids, but they would rather stay with their aunt and  
uncle instead of coming here with us every year. I am in  
environmental technology," Trish said.  
  
"That sounds interesting," I said. Well not as interesting as being  
an FBI agent who goes about searching for UFOs and aliens...  
  
"It's not really," she laughed. "A lot of paper work. We should be  
going, we need to run into Hamilton and get some  
groceries. Marty?" He stood up and shook Mulder's hand.  
  
"Nice meeting you," Marty said.  
  
"You too, Dana. See you tomorrow around 11?" she asked.  
  
"That would be fine," I said. They retreated to their cottage, and I  
pulled out of Mulder's embrace.  
  
"They seem pretty nice," Mulder commented.  
  
"Yea," I said, as I lay on my stomach and grabbed my book. The  
sun's rays warmed our bodies, and everything around us. I began  
to get engrossed in my book, I didn't realize that Mulder had began  
to make little sand castles all over the place.  
  
I fell asleep in the hot sun, and I woke up as Mulder was rolling  
me over. Considerate of Mulder, he didn't want me to get a  
sunburn, despite of his earlier jokes.  
  
"Someone's been busy," I smiled as I commented on the dozens of  
miniature castles.  
  
"I entertain myself," Mulder grinned.  
  
"I'm going in to cool off," I said, as I stood up.  
  
"You want me to carry you again?" Mulder smiled. I threw my  
book at him and headed for the water. Mulder was right behind  
me.  
  
The water was warm, yet refreshing. I waded into it until I was  
about waist deep, then dove under and surfaced a few feet in front  
of Mulder. Together we swam further out, into the deep water of  
the lake.  
  
I was getting tired, but Mulder was still going. It seemed that we  
were almost halfway to Navy Island.  
  
"Scully, do you want to take a little break?" Mulder asked.  
  
"How can we take a break? We're in the middle of a lake," I  
asked.  
  
"On a sand bar," Mulder said, holding his arms up.  
  
"Oh," I couldn't touch the sand, so I swam closer to Mulder. I  
stretched my body and tried to touch the ground. I couldn't.  
  
"I can't touch," I said. The water was just below Mulder's   
shoulders, of course I wouldn't be able to touch.  
  
"Well, then come here," Mulder said. I looked at him uneasily,  
this wasn't what I wanted to do, I knew it was just Mulder-  
  
"Scully you're tired, just come here," he repeated. I closed the  
distance between us.  
  
"Just hold yourself up, I won't touch you," Mulder said. "Just  
relax." I slowly put my arms around his neck lightly, just enough  
to hold myself up. He seemed grateful that I would accept such a  
gesture from him.  
  
I slowly relaxed against him as much as I could. I wasn't trying to  
press my body against his, but it was hard not to, since I was  
holding his neck.  
  
We must have stayed like this for ten minutes, before I finally  
forced myself to push away from him. I gave him a quick smile  
and we headed back to the shore, splashing at each other. I was  
getting bored with swimming, so when I was finally shoulder deep  
I was quite glad.  
  
"Scully, I can hold my breath longer then you can," Mulder taunted  
like a child. I gave him a smug look.  
  
"I'm not so sure about that," I said. I knew where he was going  
with this, I'd had many competitions like this with my brothers and  
sisters while growing up.  
  
"On three," Mulder said, grinning. "One...Two...Three." We both  
went under the water, and I saw him gazing at me. I had always  
been good at this game, when I was younger. After about 30  
seconds I had to come up for air.  
  
I waited at the surface for Mulder, to hear 'I told you so'. After  
another 15 seconds I peered into the water at him. He was slowly  
rising to the top and his eyes were closed; there were no signs of  
life from him.  
  
I pulled him up to the surface and turned him onto his back. He  
was unconscious. I dragged him to the shore quickly, then sat  
down beside him. I started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and I  
felt Mulder's lips press against mine at the touch. His tongue  
slipped into my open mouth and I pulled away from him sharply.  
  
"That was not funny," I said, then I turned away from him and  
grabbed my towel. I headed for our cottage. The nerve of him!   
Mulder stepped in front of me.  
  
I tried to go around him; I didn't even want to look at him  
right then. What would have happened if he had been really  
unconscious?   
  
Mulder touched my shoulder. "I'm sorry Scully. It was only a  
joke, I didn't mean to get you upset." Mulder begged. "I don't  
want you to be mad at me for something stupid, if you're going to  
be mad at me it should be for-" I cut him off, I didn't want him to  
go into one of his 'its all my fault' speeches.  
  
"I'm not mad at you," I admitted. "I just thought that you really  
were drowning, and then you weren't, and it just shocked me."  
  
He guided me back to the sand with his arm around my shoulders.   
"And I wouldn't want my wife to get pissed at me on our night day  
together," Mulder added as we sat down.  
  
"Yes *Fox* we can work everything out," I winked at him. He  
cringed at the mention of his name. We sat down on my towel,  
and I leaned against Mulder, "Oh come on, you're not going to let  
your wife call you by your first name?" I laughed. "Or should I  
call you 'White'." I was really enjoying this.  
  
"Okay, okay. I suppose that Fox would be better than White. I can  
imagine it now, we're at the party on Friday and you call me White  
and I ignore you..." Mulder wrapped his arms around my waist, as  
Marty came out of their cottage and started their grill.  
  
"Mmm, Fox?" I turned my head so I was facing him and batted my  
eyelashes.  
  
"Yes dear?" He replied.  
  
"I'm hungry, are you planning to cook me supper any time soon?"   
I asked. Silence. Before I could open my mouth again, Mulder  
began kissing my neck.  
  
I jumped at his touch, as he continued down to my shoulder. In a  
shaky voice I said, "If you're trying to get out of making supper..."  
  
"Not at all," Mulder pulled away. "You think *I'd* do that?"  
  
I looked at him. Of course I thought he'd do that. Mulder stood up  
and I went to follow him.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.  
  
"Inside, so you don't explode anything in the kitchen, or burn the  
house down," I admitted.  
  
Mulder grinned. "You think *I'd* do that?" he repeated.  
  
"I wouldn't put it past you," I smiled.  
  
"Anyway, you're not allowed in. I'll bring it out and we can eat on  
the patio," Mulder said.  
  
"Okay," I nodded. I was wondering what the meal would actually  
be, hot dogs, or Kraft Dinner? I picked up my book and began to  
read.  
  
XxXxX  
  
"Ohhhhh Dana," Mulder called from the patio. I looked up and  
saw Mulder standing by the small table and chairs.  
  
"Are you done already?" I asked in disbelief. Mulder nodded  
eagerly. It had only been ten minutes, tops. What could he have  
possibly made? There were two bottles of beer on the table, how  
appropriate.  
  
I made it to the table and gave Mulder 'the look'. He pulled my  
chair out for me.  
  
"What did you make?" I asked, as I sat down.  
  
"Chinese," Mulder replied. I could barely hide my amusement.   
He handed me a carton, of course Mulder wouldn't have cooked,  
and ten minutes didn't give him enough time to destroy the  
kitchen. The only bad part about this was that I wouldn't be able to  
force him to do the dishes.  
  
"Ooh a real chef," I commented. Mulder sat across from me, and  
behind him I could see a family getting out of a car. This was a  
pretty popular place, I figured out. All the houses around us  
are were full;I wondered how the Gunmen got us a place on such  
short notice.  
  
The new arrivals consisted of parents and three children. It was  
the first time that I had seen children here, and we'd been here all  
day. Sure many people had passed by and waved, with a casual  
hello, but they had all been adults. The amount of friendliness  
from these people reminded me of The Falls.  
  
Mulder noticed my fixation behind him and turned. The mother  
was trying to get all the children into the house. They looked to be  
from 6 to 13 years old. The father looked toward us, and Mulder  
waved. The man waved back, then followed his wife into the  
house.  
  
"Lots of people around here," Mulder noticed. I nodded in  
agreement.  
  
"First time I've seen kids though," I said.  
  
"Maybe they aren't allowed and those people snuck them in, that  
would explain the quickness of getting them into the house,"  
Mulder joked.  
  
"If that was the truth, why are you allowed here?" I giggled.  
  
"Ohhh Scully, that hurt. I get a 'free hit'," Mulder said.  
  
"A free hit? What the Hell is that?" I demanded.  
  
"For me to know and you to find out," Mulder taunted. Okay, if he  
wanted to play like that, I'd let him. I bit back another comment  
about being a kid and sat back in my chair. What could he  
possibly do?  
  
"Okay," I said, as I continued eating.  
  
"So what do you think of that barbecue tomorrow night?"  
Mulder asked.  
  
"I'm not sure, it sounds like a big event here. Let's ask Trish and  
Marty tomorrow," I said.  
  
"Speak of the devil," Mulder murmured, looking over my  
shoulder. Trish and Marty were coming out of their cottage.  
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"They just came out of their place," Mulder said. "They're  
checking the barbecue."  
  
"Mulder, don't stare," I interrupted.  
  
"Then where do you want me to look?" He taunted, looking me  
over. I could feel a blush beginning to creep into my cheeks. I  
swallowed and gave him a sexy smile.  
  
"Wherever you want to," I whispered.  
  
He looked away from me for a second. The sky was beginning to  
get darker as the sun began to set. Mulder got up and switched on  
a light that made little lights all around the deck light up.  
  
I was beginning to feel goose bumps on my skin. The sun was  
setting quickly. We finished the meal with small talk, then I stood  
up.  
  
"Why don't we go for a walk?" I asked.  
  
"Sure," Mulder said, gathering up the cartons.  
  
I went inside and opened my suitcase, which was on the couch. I  
grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of shorts and put them on over my  
bikini. I put on my sandals as Mulder came in. He grabbed the  
T-shirt he had been wearing today and put on his sandals.  
  
I went outside and Mulder joined me. After locking the door we  
walked to the road that all the cottages were on. Mulder took my  
hand as we started walking down the road.   
  
To our right was the lake. On the left there was a bonfire lit at a  
little park. There were a handful of people milling about.  
  
"How far are we planning on walking?" Mulder asked.  
  
"I'm not sure," I replied. It sure was beautiful here, I noted.   
Another couple was approaching us, and I leaned against Mulder.   
The road was lined with small lights and there was a warm breeze  
in the air. There was a volleyball net, and some basketball hoops.   
A mini golf course and a swing set near the park.  
  
We came to a trail in the woods on the right hand side. I knew it  
couldn't go very far, since that was the same side as the water.  
  
"Let's go down here," I said. So we headed down the trail. It was  
awfully dark under these trees; we were completely shaded from  
the streetlights and the moon.  
  
It was a nicely groomed trail, wide enough for both of us to walk  
on together. I only managed to trip over a raised root once, and  
Mulder caught me. We emerged from the darkness onto the sandy  
beach.  
  
The sand was still warm, so we stopped to remove our sandals.  
We walked side-by-side down in the wet sand, while small waves  
crashed onto. Our cottage was visible by the tiny lights all around  
the deck, so we headed toward it.   
  
Suddenly Mulder lifted me up and carried me out deeper into the  
water.  
  
"Mu-Fox!" I cried out, wrapping my arms around his neck as the  
water plashed against his knees. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I just thought we could use a nice romantic moonlight swim,"  
Mulder said in a sexy voice.  
  
"If you think its just me going in, you've got something coming to  
you," I told him. He gave me a look of mock surprise. "If you  
dump me in, I'm taking you with me!" I threatened.  
  
Mulder had been carrying me, and suddenly he let go. I was still  
holding around his neck, but I was quick enough to wrap my legs  
around my waist to prevent total wetness.  
  
"You're quick," Mulder murmured in my ear. He continued  
walking deeper into the lake. Then, without warning, he went  
under, taking me with him. I gasped in surprise and got a  
mouthful of water. We stayed under only a few seconds, long  
enough to soak both of us, then he came back up grinning.  
  
"You look pretty sexy in a wet T-shirt Scully," Mulder said. I  
spit the water at Mulder's face, then I pushed away from him and  
swam to the shore. Mulder was right behind me, and he tackled  
me in the water.  
  
We splashed each other for at least ten minutes. It reminded me of  
when I was a kid at the beach. Finally Mulder got up from where  
we were sitting and held his hand out for me. I thought our water  
fight was all finished, and took his hand.  
  
He swung me around and into the water. I jumped up and tackled  
him, this time I sat on his stomach.  
  
"I'll only get off you if you're good," I taunted.  
  
"Scully its been a while since there was a woman in your position,  
taunting me like that!" Mulder replied smiling.  
  
"Oh Mulder, that's very bad!" I said. His hands went to my waist  
and he began to tickle me. I squirmed, and rolled off him. Mulder  
got out of the water and picked up both of our sandals. I got up  
and walked beside him back to our cottage.  
  
As we approached we noticed that the Hunts were on their patio. I  
took Mulder's hand until we reached the spot where I had been  
laying all day. I picked up my towel and my book. Mulder  
grabbed the lawn chair and the sunscreen.  
  
"Fox, wipe off your feet or else you'll track sand through the  
house," I scolded, after we had entered.  
  
"Yes dear," Mulder said, catching the towel I tossed at him. I put  
my book on the table.  
  
"I'm going to get changed," I announced, taking my suitcase  
upstairs.  
  
At the top of the stairs there were two doors. They were both  
open, but I went directly into the bathroom.  
  
I looked at my watch and realized it was almost ten o'clock. Time  
really does fly when you're having fun, I mused. I pulled out some  
clothes, and stepped into the shower to wash the sand out of my  
hair.  
  
I was just about to turn the water off. "Scully are you decent?"   
Mulder yelled as he burst into the bathroom.  
  
I stuck my head out from behind the curtain. "Mulder what the  
Hell are you doing in here?" I demanded.  
  
"We're married... and besides I have to piss like a Chinese race  
horse," Mulder said. I rolled my eyes and ducked back under the  
steady stream of water. After a few moments I heard the toilet  
flush and scalding water came out of the shower head.  
  
I cried out in surprise and jumped backwards out of the spray.  
  
"Oh my God, I'm sorry Scully!" Mulder exclaimed. "I didn't mean  
to do that, I swear." He pulled open the shower curtain and he  
held a spread out towel for me. He had his head turned away from  
me. I stepped into the towel and leaned down to turn off the  
water.  
  
"I'm sorry, I forgot all about the water thing," Mulder begged.  
  
"It's okay, it wasn't that hot, it just surprised me," I lied. It   
really had been hot, but he already felt so bad, I didn't want to  
make him feel worse. "How about you go find something for   
us to do?"  
  
Mulder nodded and left. I quickly dried off and got dressed, then  
joined him in the living room.  
  
"I found some board games," Mulder announced, as I came down the  
stairs.  
  
"Which ones?" I asked.  
  
"Well there's Pictionary and Monopoly," Mulder said. "There's also  
a deck of cards."  
  
"Let's play Pictionary, but how will it work?" I asked. Someone  
always had to draw while another guessed, two people wasn't enough  
to play this game, and I *hated* Monopoly.  
  
"Well I could be on your team and you could be on my team,"  
Mulder said. How did that work? Ahh we'll figure it out.  
  
"Whatever works," I sat down on the couch beside him. Mulder set  
up the game on the coffee table.  
  
"You can go first," Mulder told me. I rolled the dice, then moved to  
the square that said Action. I picked a card, the word was 'think'.  
I got a piece of paper and a pencil and began to draw.  
  
"Tepee?" Mulder asked, after I had drawn the legs of the stick man.   
I drew a head. "Man with big head? Large ego?" Mulder asked. I  
drew a cloud coming from his head. "Wonder? Dream? Think?"  
  
"Yes!" I said.  
  
"Your person has no arms," Mulder pointed out.  
  
"Deal with it," I said.  
  
"My turn to draw," Mulder replied. He rolled the dice and landed on  
Person/Place/Thing. He picked a card.  
  
Mulder drew a baseball. "Baseball?" I asked. He drew a   
basketball. "Basketball?" He circled them. "Balls? Ball?" He  
nodded, then he drew some more. "Chair? Sofa? Bench?" I  
guessed. He drew a tree and a slide. "Park? Ball Park?"  
  
"Yes!" Mulder exclaimed.  
  
"Mulder your drawing is even worse then mine." I noticed.  
  
"Hey Scully. Do you remember that night when we played  
baseball?" Mulder asked casually. Did I ever! I hadn't been so  
carefree or happy in a long time.  
  
"Yeah, that was nice, I liked it," I said.  
  
"Well it's my turn," I said, breaking the silence that had settled  
between us. I drew a card, oh dear, Hot Blonde Guy. I drew another  
stick man, this time I was careful and drew arms on him.  
  
"A person?" Mulder asked. I drew the sun behind him, and little  
drops of sweat coming from his head. "Hot?" I added some wavy  
hair, imitating Elvis.  
  
"Elvis?" Mulder grinned. "Sun? Sweat? Hot?" The timer finally  
ran out with pathetic guesses.  
  
"Come on Mulder, can't you see the 'hot blonde guy' in there?" I  
chuckled.  
  
"The day that's a 'hot blonde guy', is the day you're a brunette,"  
Mulder said. Okay, I had to admit that my drawing wasn't very  
good. We played the game longer, unfortunately me being on  
Mulder's team, and him being on my team didn't really work.  
  
I stood up in frustration. Mulder had just landed on his third 'All  
Play' in the row. We had decided to skip the All Play squares,  
considering there was just one person guessing.  
  
"Let's play cards," Mulder said.  
  
"Okay," I agreed. "What game do you want to play?"  
  
Mulder seemed to be deep in thought, as he got out the deck of cards  
and set them on the coffee table. I moved so I was sitting on the  
floor across from Mulder. "Poker?"  
  
I hadn't played poker in ages, I wondered if I still knew how   
to play. "Okay, what will we play for? I don't have any spare  
change," I added.  
  
Mulder grinned at me. "How about strip poker?" he inquired. Strip  
poker? Asking to play strip poker was basically asking me to strip  
for him. I gave him a sexy smile.  
  
"Okay Mulder, but you'll have to go easy on me cause I barely  
know how to play," I said. His jaw dropped, I suppose he didn't  
actually think I'd agree! He swallowed and dealt out five cards. I  
looked at mine, wondering what I was getting myself into. The FBI  
didn't like agents of the opposite sex consorting in the same hotel  
room on assignment, let alone play strip poker!  
  
I had nothing, zip, nada. Actually I had a two, a five, a queen, a  
seven, and an ace. This was going to be a short game. I tossed  
everything except the two and five into the pile and drew three more  
cards. Still nothing good, although I had two fives now.  
  
"What do you have?" Mulder asked.  
  
"A pair of fives," I said.  
  
"I have a pair of tens," Mulder grinned. I bit my lip and removed my  
shorts, it wasn't a really big deal.  
  
I dealt the cards and had a surprisingly good hand. Mulder removed  
his shirt. We played again and Mulder was down to his boxers. It  
must have been luck, because I was just throwing cards. I dealt  
again and I had a horrible hand. I slowly pulled off my T-shirt, as  
Mulder watched. Of course it was practically the same as I had been  
all afternoon with my bikini, but with lingerie it was a lot more  
intimate.  
  
Mulder was eyeing me with a huge smile on his face. I tried to  
ignore him.  
  
"It's your turn to deal," I said. He dealt the cards. I lost again,  
my luck had ended. I moved my hands around my back to unfasten  
my bra, it was only fair.  
  
I unfastened it just as someone knocked on the door. Talk about  
saved by the bell. I glanced out the window and saw Trish standing  
on the doorstep. "Mulder, get upstairs," I hissed, as I grabbed the  
closest article of clothing to me, Mulder's shirt. Mulder went  
upstairs and I pulled it over my head and went to the door.  
  
"Hi Trish," I said, as I pulled the door open.  
  
She looked me over and grinned. "I hope I'm not interrupting  
anything," she said. She must have noticed that Mulder had been  
wearing this shirt today. I looked at myself, okay what did it look  
like I had been doing more, playing strip poker with my partner or  
having sex with my husband? I blushed.  
  
"Anyway I was just coming over to ask if you had any hot dog buns  
for tomorrow," Trish said.  
  
"Yes we did pick some up this afternoon," I told her. "Should I   
bring them tomorrow?"  
  
"That would be great. I gotta go, see you tomorrow Dana," Trish  
said as she walked back to her place.  
  
"Bye," I called as she left. I closed the door and leaned against  
it.  
  
"Ohhh hooooonney," Mulder called. I turned off the lights and went  
upstairs. Mulder was lying in the blankets of the queen-sized bed  
on his stomach, patting the spot next to him with his  
hand. He was repeating his actions at The Falls.  
  
"Mulder-" The upstairs light turned on at the Hunt residence.  
I went to close the curtains. "Why aren't there any curtains   
here?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not a clue," he replied. I went into the  
bathroom and emerged wearing my pajamas. There was a silence  
between us, and I crossed the room and sat on the bed.  
  
"Do you want to sleep here?" Mulder asked, sitting up. Marty  
waved to us, so Mulder put an arm around my shoulders.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous Mulder," I replied. "We're both adults, we can  
sleep in the same bed."  
  
I pulled the covers over me, and flipped off the bedside lamp.   
Mulder flopped back onto his side of the bed.  
  
"Good night, Mulder," I said, my back was toward him.  
  
"G'night Scully," he replied. My head rested on the pillow, as I  
heard his breathing relax. Just as I was falling asleep, Mulder  
murmured something. I turned my head to face him, but he was  
asleep. A few seconds later, Mulder's arm was draped around me.  
  
XxXxX  
  
Cottage  
June 28, 1999  
7:13 a.m.  
  
. . . I leaned against the kisses that my lover was teasing my neck  
with, wanting more, needing more. I turned toward him, arching my  
back and stretching out as far as I could. Then I realized  
something-there really *was* someone kissing my neck. It was soft  
and gentle, but definitely there. I opened my eyes, and saw dark  
brown hair at my neck. Mulder. Was he awake? I moved so that I  
was out from underneath him and he lifted his head up,  
grinning.  
  
"Good morning Scully. Did you sleep well?" Mulder teased. I shot  
him 'the look'.  
  
"Mulder what were you just doing?" I snapped.  
  
"Uh, I was taking my 'free hit' Scully. You know the rules for 'free  
hits' don't you?" Mulder shrunk back. Now I felt dumb, I suppose a  
little kiss on the neck never hurt anything. I pulled back the   
covers, might as well get up, I'm not going to fall back asleep   
again!  
  
"Sorry Mulder. I didn't realize you were going to, uh, go to such  
liberty with that," I apologized. "I'm going to take a shower."  
  
Mulder was grinning at me. "Want company?" He leered. I threw  
my pillow at him, then waltzed into the bathroom and shut the door.  
  
I turned on the water and glanced at the mirror as I unbuttoned my  
pajamas. There was a hickey on the side of my neck. I could kill  
him!  
  
I hastily rebuttoned the top buttons and went back into the bedroom.   
The bed was empty. I charged downstairs.  
  
"Mulder where are you?" I demanded. The cottage was small, since  
he wasn't upstairs, or in the living room or kitchen, I determined   
that he must be outside. I looked out the window, and sure enough,  
he was sitting in the sand, looking out at the water.  
  
I crept up behind him, careful not to make a sound. He had his legs  
under him, and the water came inches from touching his knees. I  
pushed his back, hard enough for him to fall into the shallow water  
face first with a small splash. As soon as he turned around to face  
me, I pinned him down.  
  
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Marty and Trish come outside,  
heading for the boat. The duo stopped and stared at us.  
  
"What is this?" I hissed, leaning down on him so my hickey was eye  
level to him. He kissed the only skin his mouth could reach, just  
below the base of my neck.  
  
"Property of me," Mulder said. There was nothing I could do, except  
simple revenge. I moved so my mouth was over his and gave him a  
wet, sloppy kiss. I jammed my tongue into his mouth, and his eyes  
popped open. I could see Marty and Trish stop in their tracks, they  
had been approaching us. Mulder took his turn, and wrapped his  
arms around me, pulling me completely on top and against him.   
Then he moved his hands over my back, then my bottom. It was   
my turn for my eyes to go wide.  
  
Finally, when I felt like I was going to pass out from lack of   
oxygen, I pulled away. Now I was completely soaked for the second  
time in less than 12 hours.  
  
"I've said it before Dana, and I'll say it again," he looked me up  
and down. "The wet T-shirt look, does look very sexy on you." I  
looked down, I had only bothered to rebutton the top two buttons.  
I blushed, and stood up.  
  
"I'm going back inside, Fox," I taunted, with a finger on his lips.   
With that, I stood up and walked back inside the house. I didn't  
bother to dry off, and I walked right upstairs and into the bathroom.  
  
I took a quick shower, because we should be at the Hunt's around  
10 to leave at 11. Plus Mulder still needed to take a shower as   
well. I put on the same bikini as yesterday, just to keep Mulder's  
attention. I had to admit I liked the way he put the sunscreen on me  
yesterday....  
  
I opened the door of the bathroom, and Mulder was right there. I  
jumped back in surprise.  
  
"Mulder I'm not even going to ask what you are doing standing there,  
I'm going to pack some things for this afternoon," I said, as I   
ducked under the arm he had across the doorway.  
  
"Spoil sport," Mulder said, as he went into the bathroom. I picked  
up my carryall bag and put two towels in it, then I added sunscreen  
and a hat. I went downstairs and put both the hot dog buns in the  
bag and walked over to Trish and Marty's. Marty was outside,  
near the boat. It wasn't a very big boat, but with its bench   
seats it could comfortably seat four people. The boat was painted  
green with 'The Tripper' written on the front of it. Marty looked up  
as I approached.  
  
"Hi neighbor," he said.  
  
"Hi. I have hot dog buns where should I put them?" I asked.  
  
"Trish is in the kitchen, just go in," he replied, revving the   
engine. I went toward the cottage, and let myself inside.  
  
"Trish?" I called. The cottage was almost mirror image of ours.  
It was decorated a bit more, and it felt more like a home then   
ours did. I suppose that was because they rented the same house,  
every summer.  
  
"Hi Dana," she emerged from the kitchen with a bag. "Are you guys  
ready?"  
  
"I have hot dog buns," I said. "Umm, I'll have to go get Mu- my  
husband. I'll be right back."  
  
"Okay, there is no rush," Trish said. I left their cottage and   
headed back to ours. What was taking Mulder so long? It   
must have been ten minutes by now. I opened the door, just as he  
opened the door.  
  
"Whoa!" He said. "Hi Dana."  
  
"Hi Fox, come on we're delaying them," I said, grabbing his hand  
and pulling him out of the doorway. Trish was coming from a small  
shed on the corner of their property with several life jackets in her  
hands, while Marty was packing a cooler under one of the bench  
seats.  
  
"Here we are," I announced.  
  
"May I take your bag?" Marty asked.  
  
"Of course," I said, handing it to him.  
  
"Here you go," Trish said, passing out life jackets to all of us.   
I put my bright orange flotation device on. Mulder did the same.  
  
Once everyone had the jackets on, Marty said, "Ladies first."   
Gesturing toward the boat. Trish and I got in and sat on the   
separate benches. "Okay Fox, could you give me a hand at   
pushing this out?"  
  
"Sure," Mulder said. The men slowly pushed us into the water, then  
jumped on. Mulder immediately settled down beside me, and put  
his arm around my waist, so his hand was resting on my hip. "So  
how long have you two been married?" Trish asked us. Oh no. I  
waited for Mulder to reply... silence; he must have been waiting for  
me to. I opened my mouth, and Mulder said, "6-"  
  
"Months," I finished. Six was the amount of years that we had been  
partners, that is presumably where he got his six from. Still  
the thought of us being married since the day we met was kind of  
odd.   
  
"You guys are newlyweds? Congratulations," Marty said,  
steering the boat and picking up speed.  
  
"Thanks," I said. "So Marty, I know that Trish is in Environmental  
Technology, what do you do?"  
  
"I work with computers," he said. "Basically I get to play around  
with them all day."  
  
"I'm not much of a computer person, the way technology is moving  
these days, it's hard to keep track of everything!" I said. Mulder  
was being surprisingly quiet. I turned to him. "Fox?"  
  
He looked at me, he did look a little uncomfortable and I realized  
with a jolt that it was because we were here, on a boat. "Yes?" He  
sputtered.  
  
"Are you feeling okay?" I asked with noticeable concern. I touched  
his forehead with my hand, of course that was no way to cure  
seasickness.  
  
"Don't worry folks, Navy Island is just a head now," Marty said,  
from the wheel. I turned forward, he was right; the island was  
really close.  
  
"I'm fine," Mulder said, and he pulled me closer to him. I wondered  
if he really was *fine* or just my version of fine. I rested my head  
against his shoulder, oh Mulder. Marty was steering us to the beach  
of the island. As we approached, he cut the engine and let the waves  
push us to the shore. Mulder and Marty hopped into the water. It  
was a little before they should  
have; Mulder gave a surprised yelp as it was up to his waist.  
  
"Oops, sorry about that. I thought it was more shallow," Marty  
apologized.  
  
"No problem, we're at a beach to get wet, isn't that right Dana?"   
Mulder was behind me.  
  
As soon as I nodded, Mulder lifted me over the edge of the boat.   
"Hey!" I called out laughing. Then he deposited me in the water  
with him and Marty. It was a lot warmer then I expected it to be,  
and I found myself wishing I could stay in it for a long time.  
  
"I think I spoke too soon," I said, splashing water against   
his chest, then swimming for the beach.  
  
"Don't forget about me!" Trish said, as she jumped out of the boat.  
  
"I would never," Marty said, as he gave Trish a quick kiss. Mulder  
and Marty pushed the boat onto the beach, and we all went up onto  
the sand, to take off our soaking wet life jackets. I hung mine   
on the branches of a tree near the edge of the sand, and everyone  
else followed.  
  
"So what are we going to do?" Mulder asked.  
  
I don't know about you but I want to go have some water fun... I  
thought. I looked expectantly at Trish and Marty.  
  
"Well we could hike the short trail around the island... its not very  
interesting though," Marty said.   
  
"Sounds like fun... I like hiking," Mulder replied. So we went on  
this trail... it was a path really. The ground was mostly flat, and  
we walked in and out of the shrubbery, onto the beach, and back  
into the woods.  
  
"Ooh Fox..... berries," I said.  
  
"Dana remember the last time you found berries?" He grabbed my  
hand and pulled me away from them, while Trish and Marty  
exchanged a look. Yes the berries I had found while I had left  
Mulder sleeping by the fallen log. Mothmen... of all things.  
  
"I fell into a hole," I quipped, grinning at Mulder. We'd leave   
it at that.  
  
They exchanged another look, this time a bit more discreet, and we  
headed on the path again. It was short, we were around the island in  
a half an hour. We arrived at the same spot where we were docked.  
  
I sat down in the sand, and Mulder took a seat behind me. Trish  
started unpacking the cooler and our bags from the boat.  
  
"You know..." Mulder said. "We could have an awesome game of  
chicken." I turned around and shot him a warning look. Okay, it  
wasn't like I didn't want to play chicken and get to sit on his  
shoulders... it was the question of how close we would come to  
crossing the lines of our partnership.  
  
"Chicken? I vaguely remember playing that in high school," Trish  
said with a grin. "Marty have you ever played chicken?" Oh great,  
now they were all talking about it.  
  
"Yes dear, I have," Marty said. "Want to have a fight? It's been a  
while." Marty suggested.  
  
"That would be fun," I managed to choke out. I slip out of Mulder's  
grasp and pull off my T-shirt. The rest of the group followed my  
lead, and the next thing we know we're all in our bathing suits. We  
waded into the warm water for the second time in half an hour.  
  
"Now, how does this work?" I asked Mulder, he was, in fact,  
towering over me. I was in the water about waist deep.  
  
"Hold on Dana, I think you're too anxious to play this game,"  
Mulder chuckled. Then he went under water, and came up right  
beneath me so I was sitting on his shoulders. It was a little   
awkward at first; I was perched behind his head. I let my hands   
hold on to his head, covering up his eyes on purpose. Mulder   
grasp my legs and tried to walk toward the other couple, when   
we both tumbled into the water.  
  
"Dana you're not supposed to cover up my eyes," Mulder said, as we  
surfaced.  
  
"Sorry honey," I giggled. He put me back on his shoulders, and I  
realized just what position I was in. Oh God...  
  
We made it to Trish and Marty, who obviously must play this game  
more than they let on, because they were just standing in the  
water, watching us and laughing. I had played this game many times  
before now. Trish and Marty defeated us easily the first time, as  
Mulder and I resurfaced, I gave him a look.  
  
"What?" he asked. Then I smiled; this actually was kind of fun.  
  
"Nothing, I just expected that you'd be better at this game," I told  
him. Mulder lifted me onto his shoulders again and we approached  
Trish and Marty for yet another battle. I don't know how we won  
this time. Somehow Trish fell just as I was falling over Mulder's  
head, but he managed to hold on to me, and we repositioned  
ourselves. Trish and Marty prepared for another fight.  
  
"Fox how much have you played this game?" I asked, sliding my  
fingers through his hair.  
  
"A few times in high school, some times in college," Mulder said. I  
had never imagined him being the social kind of guy, I was cooped  
up in the office for about 15 hours a day, my social life was  
forgotten long ago. This escapade that we were on was beginning to  
be fun. We fought again, it lasted several minutes, then Mulder and  
I fell into the water for the final time.  
  
"Is anyone getting hungry?" Trish asked as we came up.  
  
"Food sounds good right about now," I said, as I waded out of the  
water. Mulder nodded in agreement. I spread our towels out on the  
ground, it was another hot day and the sun was drying the beads of  
water from us already. I sat on my towel, and Mulder moved behind  
me. I leaned back, so I was in his arms, and let myself admit how  
nice this was. Marty disappeared into the  
woods to get some firewood, while Trish got the hot dogs ready, and  
opened the cooler.  
  
I rested my head against Mulder's chest and closed my eyes.  
The sun was radiant, and I was almost completely dry, except on my  
bathing suit. Mulder brushed my hair from my face, and murmured,  
"You know Dana, you're going to get a sunburn if you don't put on  
some lotion."  
  
"Mmm," I mumbled. I didn't want to get up, and I had been secretly  
hoping that he would suggest that. He fished the bottle out of our  
bag, and applied the lotion leisurely to my shoulders. Then he went  
on, continuing down my arms, and then he put some dabs on my  
face. With a moments hesitation he continued down my chest. I  
was almost holding my breath at his touch. Mulder rubbed my  
stomach and down my legs as I lay against him. This really was the  
life.  
  
"Time to roll over," he murmured softly in my ear. I really didn't  
want to, but I obeyed him, flipping lazily onto my stomach. He  
grinned and rubbed the white goo onto my back, then down the back  
of my legs, while I memorized the feeling of his hands on my body.   
When he was finally finished, I sat up and took the bottle from him.   
  
"My turn," I smiled at him. Marty had succeeded in building the  
fire, and Trish came over to us.  
  
"Would you like anything to drink? We have some soda and some  
beer," she asked.  
  
"Soda please," I said. "Honey what do you want?"  
  
"I'll take a beer, but I can get them," Mulder said, and headed  
toward the cooler. He better not be trying to avoid getting  
lotioned... I thought with a grin.  
  
When Mulder returned, I laid him on his back and covered every  
inch of his visible body with sunscreen. Just as I was finishing,  
Marty announced that hot dogs were ready. I had been too focused  
on Mulder to know he was even cooking them yet!  
  
We went over to the fire and helped ourselves to hot dogs and chips,  
then we all returned to our towels which were spread out almost in a  
line.  
  
"So how did you guys meet?" I asked casually.  
  
"Well, I was on a vacation-" Trish started.  
  
"In Atlanta, where I lived at the time," Marty interrupted.  
  
"Yes, and we met at a club one night, and let's just say we were  
inseparable ..." Trish finished.  
  
"What about you guys?" Marty asked, with augmenting curiosity.  
  
I had a sharp intake of breath as Mulder adjusted my bikini strap.   
What were we going to tell them? Luckily Mulder came up with a  
story before I could wonder any further.  
  
"We met in the town of Oceanville, Washington, quite soon after I  
moved there, for business reasons. I met Dana in the sort of way  
that you wonder the next day if it was a dream or not. It was night  
time on my first day there, and I decided to take a walk on the   
lovely coast. The sun was setting; it was beautiful, much like the  
surroundings here actually. Then I saw her walking in the small  
waves-" Mulder told us, like he was in a dream land. His face  
actually looked like he was remembering something, or picturing  
something.   
  
"And I saw Fox watching me. It was a small town, the kind of place  
where everyone knows everyone else. I could tell he wasn't from  
here." I turned to look straight at him, as I continued to tell the  
story. "You know how you can see someone from a first glance and  
know they are the... one in five billion for you. So I approached  
him-" Mulder interrupted me. God, did I really say all that aloud?   
Mulder must have got that, but I found myself  
blinking back tears. The other couple was mesmerized by our  
story.  
  
"So I walked toward her, trying to start a conversation, and the   
first thing that popped out of my mouth was 'God, you're   
beautiful'-" Mulder said.  
  
"And I don't think we need to go into detail, Fox," I felt my face  
starting to flush. What was wrong with me, this wasn't even   
real. Of course I would have liked it to be real. Very much.   
I could live in a dream world with Mulder.  
  
I turned back to the other couple. Mulder leaned down and dropped  
a kiss on my shoulder. I had grown used to having Mulder touch  
me, well if being used meant not jumping, that is.  
  
For the rest of the afternoon we sat on the beach and talked, or else  
we went into the water and swam around. Then we all got into the  
boat and went back to the cottages.  
  
"So you are coming to the barbecue tonight?" Trish asked.  
  
I nodded. "We'll be there," Mulder said. "Where is it?"  
  
"Over on that dock," Marty pointed to a dock. "Just follow the  
noise..."   
  
"Will do," I said. Mulder was holding the bag that I had packed, and  
Trish and Marty had refused our offer to help them unpack the boat.   
So I took Mulder's hand, and we walked back to our cottage.  
  
Mulder opened the door, and we walked in. I let go of Mulder's  
hand, and he dropped the bag on the floor. Then he walked the short  
distance to the couch and collapsed onto it. He spread out,   
taking up the whole space. Beside him there were cards on the  
coffee table, memories from last nights game. I saw the clothing we  
had discharged last night, and picked up my T-shirt, both of our  
shorts.  
  
"Scully?" Mulder asked. I turned to look at him. He patted the   
tiny spot next to him, and winked at me. "Come on... you know you  
want to..."   
  
I tossed our clothing at him, and began picking up the cards. He sat  
up and gasped, "What are you doing? Aren't we going to... continue  
that game?" Why was he doing this? Acting too damn sexy to  
refuse, and what would happen if I didn't refuse him? Sure he was  
playing along, expecting maybe even hoping me to play along with  
him, but what would happen if we went too far? The  
simple answer was no, but the way he was looking at me...  
  
"In your dreams, Mulder," I managed. He grinned.  
  
"Okay then."  
  
I stared at him, while he calmly gathered up the rest of the cards.   
Then I sat down on the couch beside him.  
  
"I'm not even going to *ask* you what we should do," I told him.  
  
"Now you're just out to hurt my feelings, Scully." He handed me  
the cards and gave me the 'puppy dog look'.  
  
"Fine. What do you want to do?" I asked, rolling my eyes.  
  
"I can think of many things that I want to do..." Mulder leered.  
  
"Yeah, while you ponder over that... I'm going to go get changed," I  
said, standing up.  
  
"Want some help?" Mulder grinned. I tossed the cards at him, then  
went up the stairs. Before I could close the door, I heard him yell,  
"You didn't answer me!!"  
  
I slipped out of my bathing suit and put on a light green tank top   
and some white shorts. I opened the door, and stepped out into the  
small hallway on the second floor.  
  
Mulder was standing right there. I jumped a mile.  
  
"Good God, Mulder! What the Hell are you doing?" I  
demanded.  
  
"Umm, nothing," he said innocently, slipping into the bedroom and  
shutting  
the door. I stood there staring after him. Let Mulder be Mulder, I  
finally decided. Then I went back downstairs. He joined me a few  
minutes later, wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of shorts.  
  
"When does this barbecue thing start?" I asked.  
  
Mulder shrugged. "Don't know. Umm, let's go ask Trish and  
Marty." So we went over to their place. They were leaving their  
cottage just as we walked up. "Oh hi!" Trish exclaimed.  
  
"Hi," we replied. "We were just wondering when this barbecue  
was going to start."  
  
"Actually, people start coming around 4, since its already 5 we're  
just on time. It continues for most of the night, people just leave  
when they want to," Marty said.  
  
"Oh okay then. Thanks," Mulder said. Together we all walked to  
the barbecue. It was a much shorter walk than I expected and we  
were there after about 5 minutes.  
  
"Wow, did Chris organize all this?" I asked in disbelief. There was  
a huge grill with people working there, and a buffet style drink  
and dessert table. There was a band playing on the grass, and in the  
sand there was a volleyball game going on. The water held the  
attention of several swimmers and many people lounged on the  
grass, the dock, or were dancing.  
  
"Yes, he is quite the man. He does all this every year." Trish   
said.  
  
Just then Chris Morgan approached us.  
  
"Glad to see you made it!" He exclaimed.  
  
"This is certainly wonderful," I told him, looking around. The sun  
was still high in the sky as even more people arrived.  
  
"Thanks," he said.  
  
"Hey Chris!" One of the grill guys called.  
  
"Excuse me, do have a wonderful time tonight," Chris said, then he  
went over to the barbecue.  
  
"Well we're just going to wander around here," I told Trish and  
Marty. "We'll probably see each other again tonight."  
  
We wandered off into the crowd. "Fox?" I asked.  
  
"Yes sweetheart?" He grinned.  
  
"I'm letting you know now that I have absolutely no intentions of  
going into the water tonight," I gestured toward the shimmering  
lake. "And if something happens where you are involved,  
you'll be sorry."  
  
"Ooooh, sorry? What are you going to do to me?" He grinned  
wickedly at me.  
  
I pulled his shoulder down so I could whisper in his ear. "Let's   
just say the handcuffs might come out." I felt his sharp intake   
of breath.  
  
But Mulder never missed a beat. "Is that a good thing? Or a bad  
thing?"  
  
"Don't get any ideas..." I murmured.  
  
"Fine... come dance with me Scully," he pulled me over to where the  
rest of the couples danced. I noticed that this was the first time   
we were in a public place that he had called me 'Scully.'  
  
The music changed as soon as we stepped onto the floor. Mulder  
pulled me closer to his body as the slow melody dripped out of the  
speakers. I moved my arms around his neck and laid my head  
against his chest. I felt his arms tighten around my waist, as he  
pulled me impossibly closer to him.  
  
I closed my eyes and let myself move to the beat of the music.   
I felt Mulder moving along with me. I drowned out the rest of the  
world.  
  
I opened my eyes a few minutes later and noticed that the band was  
already into a new song, well into it. I pulled away from Mulder.   
He broke out of his trance like state and twirled me around.  
  
"You're not much of a dancer, Dana," Mulder said. "You need to  
let loose more."  
  
"You're one to talk," I said dryly. But we continued dancing.  
Many fast songs, but there were a good handful of slow songs  
that we enjoyed together. "Mulder let's sit out some of these," I  
suggested. In all truth my legs felt like they were about to   
fall off.  
  
"Okay, you want something to drink?" he asked.  
  
"Sure," I said, taking his arm. He led us through the crowd to the  
table with the drinks on it.  
  
"What do you want? Ooh, can I get you drunk tonight Dana?" He  
smiled.  
  
"How about you get drunk, Honey. I just want water," I said.  
  
He poured me a cup of water and grabbed a can of beer. "Works for  
me," I rolled my eyes.  
  
We walked toward the old dock. It was one of the raised kind, and it  
was almost abandoned now. They sky was just beginning to darken.   
Mulder sat down on the dock and hung his legs over the edge. I sat  
down beside him so that I was parallel to the dock, and rested my  
head against his shoulder. He brushed hair from my face as I stared  
across the landscape. After about half an hour of sitting and doing  
nothing I sat up.  
  
"Mulder lets go back to the cottage. I'm exhausted from everything  
thing we've been doing lately, plus we don't really fit in here." I  
pointed out.  
  
"I am so glad you suggested that Scully. I'm bored..." He grinned.  
I gave him a playful shove and he toppled forward into the water,  
taking me with him.  
  
The water was still warm from the day's sunlight, and Mulder stood  
and wrapped his arms around me. "Do I get to play with the  
handcuffs? After all, you pushed me in," Mulder asked.  
  
I laughed. We waded out of the water, and Mulder held my hand.   
We walked down the beach to our cottage; no one even seemed to  
notice we were missing from the crowd. Mulder went upstairs to get  
changed and I stood in the doorway. This life just seemed so right,  
my mind whirled. Being married to Mulder, getting to see him all  
the time. Just talking, or sitting together was enough to satisfy me  
for a while, Hell it already had. Mulder emerged from the bedroom  
and I hurried into it and closed the door. Mulder gave me a strange  
look as I passed him.   
  
I put on a pair of silk pajamas and combed my hair. The humid air  
had already began to dry most of it. Then I opened the sliding door  
to the balcony and stepped out on it.  
  
The sun was setting now, the sky splashed brilliantly from  
the golden ball of fire, orange, then pink fading to a light blue.   
Diamonds glistened in the sky above my, and a damp breeze rustled  
the leaves on the trees. I leaned against the balcony with my head  
bowed and began to think, for the first time, consider everything,   
not just what I wanted to believe.  
  
Mulder. He was just downstairs; he had become my life.  
Working with him everyday had brought us to a certain place where  
it was impossible to turn back. I remembered those first days when  
he had resented having a partner. Always questioning my theories or  
just plain disagreeing with me. Over the years we devoted our lives  
to each other, overcoming fate time after time again just to have to  
repeat the process on our next case. We became closer and closer  
and I closed my eyes to hold back the tears. It was like suddenly my  
best friend meant more to me then anything else in the world.  
  
"Scully?" Mulder asked uncertainly, from the doorway. I slowly  
lifted my head, but didn't turn to face him yet. I couldn't trust   
myself with what I would say or do.  
  
He approached me, gently wrapping his arms around my waist.   
"What's wrong?" Concern filled his voice, and I hiccuped as a tear  
fell down my cheek. He spun me in his arms so I was facing him,  
then he lifted my chin so I stared into his eyes.  
  
I bit my lower lip as it began to tremble. I couldn't hold back any  
more. My breath was coming out in abrupt gasps. I bowed my head  
as the tears began to fall down my cheeks. The sun disappeared over  
the horizon with one final splash of color, then left us in darkness  
except for the light of the bonfire down the beach, at the barbecue.  
  
"Mulder-" I started. He looked expectantly at me, but waited for me  
to continue. "I-I finally real-realized over these past few   
days..." My voice dropped as I closed my eyes, hoping that the  
words would come. "How much I-I'm attracted to um, you," I  
whispered. He remained silent. I took a deep breath and returned  
my gaze to his eyes. "You know the way that you're with someone  
and you fall in love with them without even realizing it. Love is  
blind Mulder, and this experience showed me the real light. I love  
you so much," I whimpered. I waited his response, I just confessed  
the thoughts and emotions I hadn't even let myself be aware of, what  
if he didn't feel the same way? I go to the extreme point of  
vulnerability-  
  
He interrupted my thoughts as he pulled me into an embrace and  
kissed the top of my head. "Scully I have been waiting years for you  
to say those words, or something like them. I didn't want to ruin   
our friendship Scully, cause losing you would be the worst thing that  
could ever happen to me. I love you, Dana. Nothing and no one will  
ever be able to come between us." He murmured before he gently  
kissed me. Our lips were closed, it was the ideal first kiss.   
After a few seconds he pulled apart and I opened my eyes. Then   
I brought my hands up to his face and pulled him down to meet   
my lips.  
  
This kiss was much more passionate then our first. His tongue  
explored my mouth as I ran my hands through his hair. My tongue  
found its way inside his mouth as the kiss deepened. Finally we  
pulled away, out of breath and I gazed at him.  
  
I cocked my head slightly toward the bedroom, and without words  
he picked me up and carried me into the room. He laid me down on  
the bed and moved up beside me. I sat up and pulled his T-shirt over  
his head. He kissed me again, as I ran my hands down his chest. He  
unbuttoned my shirt quickly and slid it over my shoulders.   
  
I shrugged it off and my hands continued their trek down Mulder's  
body. His head dipped from my head as he kissed down my neck,  
over my shoulder, then down my chest. He settled with my breasts,  
caressing, touching, fondling me. My breath quickened and I ran  
my hands through his hair as he took one of them into his mouth and  
began to suck slowly. I surprised him and myself with the growl  
from my throat. It only made him suck harder. I moaned out my  
pleasure to him, as he began to suck my other nipple. His hands slid  
down my back and lifted my hips so I was on his lap. He slipped his  
hands inside my pajama pants and panties at once, cupping my  
bottom with his hands. Oh God how I loved him touching me. He  
pulled away and continued kissing down my stomach, as my hands  
fell to his lap. I eagerly slipped my hands inside his boxers and  
grasped his cock. I stroked him up and down, while he gripped my  
ass harder. Finally he laid me down and slowly slid my pants and  
panties all the way off me. He kissed me again, while I got rid   
of the only article of clothing between the two of us.  
  
"You really are the most beautiful woman in the world," he  
murmured. "I keep feeling like I am in a dream." His hand slid  
down from my face, between my breasts and finally to my crotch  
where he cupped me and slowly began to tease me with his fingers.  
  
"Oh God," I groaned. "Mulder... please..." He went to move down  
from my face. "Play later," I managed to say. "I want you... inside  
me... right now..." I gasped.  
  
"Of course Scully," he whispered, bringing his hand back up and  
positioninghimself over me. I guided him inside me. My   
intentions of our first time was to take everything slow and   
make it last as long as possible, but obviously that wasn't going   
to happen. My little dreams of this had left out one thing, how much  
this man arouses me. He thrust deep into me, then pulled almost out  
and slammed into me again. I pushed against him when he entered  
me, and squeezed my muscles around him. I wrapped my legs  
around his waist as an attempt to slow things down before I lost it.   
Losing it in this case was good, especially losing myself with  
Mulder. We thrust against each other; then suddenly my climax  
took over. I gripped Mulder tightly, as I arched my back, squeezed  
my eyes shut and moaned out Mulder's name over and over again,  
while the waves crashed through my body. Mulder came inside me.   
He cried out my name, as he released into me. Then he pulled out  
and wrapped his arms around me, drawing me close to him.   
  
"I love you, Mulder," I told him, with a smile.  
  
"I love you too, Scully," he said, kissing my forehead. He cuddled  
against me, and I rested my head under his chin. I lay awake for a  
long time, listening to the even breath of the man I love.  
  
XxXxX  
  
Cottage  
August 13, 1999  
8:21 a.m.  
  
I woke up much like I have for the last six weeks, Mulder draped  
over me, or me draped over him. This morning, Mulder was on top  
of me, and there was a phone ringing. "What the?" I wondered  
aloud. It must have been the first phone call we'd received since we  
got here. Mulder dug around in the suitcase on the floor and pulled  
out a cell phone.  
  
"Mulder," he said with a yawn.  
  
"Guess who?" A voice said.  
  
"Langly?" Mulder said, rolling off of me. I turned toward Mulder,  
we had both forgotten the reasons that we were here in the first  
place.  
  
"Yeah, sorry we forgot about you for a while," Mulder turned the  
phone toward me and I heard the conversation.  
  
"That's okay, we've been enjoying ourselves up here," he grinned at  
me. We had become even more adapt to our roles of husband and  
wife since that barbecue. "So is it safe to come back? Or should we  
spend the winter here as well?" Mulder asked.  
  
"All I'm saying is that you can come home now. Skinner had quite  
the fit when he learned you two escaped up to Canada secretively..."   
Langly said.  
  
"And exactly what are you implying? That we have a lot of  
explaining to do?" Mulder demanded, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Actually we told Skinner that you were on a honeymoon..."  
  
"What?" I sputtered.  
  
"Whoa! Agent Scully you're there too?" Langly asked.  
  
"Of course I'm here, now tell me where you expected me to be," I  
said.  
  
"Definitely not on the phone," Langly replied. "Are you coming  
home or not?"  
  
We were silent. Would going back to DC be the end of our  
relationship, or would we be able to be involved and still work  
together... then I remembered what Mulder had told me about  
nothing and no one can stand in the way of our love.  
  
"Mmm, yeah I think we'll come back," I drawled.  
  
"We got to go," Mulder said, and hung up before Langly could say  
anything more. He tossed the phone into the suitcase and began to  
kiss me.  
  
XxXxX  
  
FINIS  
  
mercury_999@hotmail.com  
  
XxXxX 


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